Dodgey_Rog's 964 Project
Discussion
So back in May, after many years of thinking up any excuse not to buy a 964, waiting for the circumstances to be right, I finally pulled the trigger on what I hoped would be the right car.
I'm sure most peoples first memories of the 964 will vary, but mine was always from a far. My father being a Lotus dealer and growing up around Lotus Esprits, I was knew of them to be superior so I was always biased towards them instead of the 911's. When I was at school, another kid who's father was also a car dealer, had a 964 Carrera 2 in that turquoise green/blue colour, being a competitive kid, I always thought the Calypso Red Esprit Turbo SE my dad had was better, it was a supercar for f**ks sake and it was a proper 2 seater.
I even had the 964 brochure;
It was this image, forgive the colour and the targa, this was the early 90's FFS, but I loved this angle;
Fast forward alot of years, when one gets the means to indulge in this sort of thing, the 964's were never on my radar, it was only until I saw a 70's 911 or 912, I couldn't tell you which one, was parked a few cars up from me in a car park, that I found myself having a look over it, it looked so cool, so retro, so basic and yet majestic. That was probably my trigger moment, then I would start looking for one in the hope I would find the one I wanted. This is where you leave your screen on at work and a colleague walks past and you strike up that conversation that you have a mutual passion for the classic 911, which spurs you on even more to find one and buy one. Having had friends that had owned later ones, either 997's or 996 Turbo's, then you have the friends that bought Boxsters to derision of other friends who make snarky comments like, "well, its not a proper Porsche is it?", to which i was always responded with, "yeah, well your Porsche is better I suppose?" which was usually met with silence as they never owned one!
After trawling through pages on various sites, including PH, I started doing my due diligence, I wanted a 911, wasn't sure to go for a G50 or a P car or even a water cooled version, but after weighing up the pro's and cons, I decided that the 964 C4 Coupe was what I wanted.
When searching for a 964, when your heart is set on the colour, spec and age etc, I ignored the fundamental principle and went with one that I was 75% sure I wanted. Back in April/May, there was a glut of Guards Red C4 Coupes on the market in various states across the US, and I was totally blind to that fact, it was only when my buddy was on the west coast that viewed a car for me said, "there are other colours apart from Red you know", it was mere coincidence.
Ideally, I wanted Dark Blue with Tan Leather in a decent spec for the budget in mind, I was being realistic and going for middle of the road. After a fruitless search on the various sales sites, I started going deeper, using the PCA classifieds, just pumping "1990 Porsche 964 C4 Coupe" threw up loads of search options, tweaking the age a little changed the results and low and behold, a company in Phoenix, AZ came up. I took a look at their stock, they were a boutique sports car dealer, dealt in Porsche's, Lamborghini's and Ferrari's and even Mercs. I found what would become my car, nestled in towards the top of their list, the mileage not ideal but otherwise, it looked reasonably straight, the vehicle report was pretty good, the mileage tallied up and on investigation revealed the car had done a little traveling but with owners that lavished love and car on it. It was originally supplied by a dealer Wyoming, stayed there for some years before moving to Las Vegas and surrounding areas where it was subsequently purchased by the dealer, driven on purchase back to Phoenix and was told, "its a solid car, never missed a beat".
So, back in May, I threw caution to the wind, and pulled the trigger and became a 964 C4 owner. It took a week to get the car in my possession, I did consider driving it back from AZ to NY over a long weekend with a buddy for the experience but then thought better of it, so I paid a freight company. Annoyingly, I was away when it arrived and I only had a week to stare at it before a work trip and a family visit back to the UK in June almost gave me separation anxiety. The furthest I'd driven my car was around the car park at my office where speed was limited obviously, but avoided the temptation to go for a quick jaunt up the road in case the cozzers caught me. After finally getting back in late June, I went about getting the insurance and registration taken care of so I could finally use it. The first run back home to the city was awesome, that feeling, the noise, all made it worth while. I then started to think about what I could do with it, personalise it as much or as little as I wanted. Whilst in the UK, I went to Le Mans and met up with a buddy who was a massive Porsche nut, owned a few 964's and even has a couple of 996's, a coupe and a convertible, he gave me the run down on what to do and when to do it, stuff like airbox, air filter, exhaust, suspension, wheels etc, i was armed to the teeth with ideas.
So far, the past several weeks, my car has been stuck in the Porsche specialist not a million miles from my office having some bits done, it was never going to be my main car, but still, I wanted it checked out and made good so I could have some peace of mind. On inspection, they assured me the car was solid, only a few wear and tear issues, sway bars, boot lid struts, wipers and binding rear caliper. So, I took the time to source some wheels, a new steering wheel and upgrade the stereo and speaker system for those long journeys upstate....
Not having the full compliment of a garage at home and the various tools required, I'm having to direct someone else to do most of the work, back home I would rope in my brothers to help with various bits car wise as we all worked well as a team, so this will be a new challenge.
I was supposed to get the car back today, but an issue with the aftermarket speakers have caused a slight delay, I should hopefully have an update on the upgraded items next week when I return from a business trip to Austin, I've had the Momo Mod 7 wheel installed and managed to source some 17" Cup 1 wheels to fill out the arches a little as well.
So, thats my foray into the Porsche 964 experience thus far, if anyone has any pointers, please share, also, I'm trying to find someone that can make the billet gear shifter;
If I can get the drawings for it, I can have it engineered, so I'm hoping someone can help me??
I'm sure most peoples first memories of the 964 will vary, but mine was always from a far. My father being a Lotus dealer and growing up around Lotus Esprits, I was knew of them to be superior so I was always biased towards them instead of the 911's. When I was at school, another kid who's father was also a car dealer, had a 964 Carrera 2 in that turquoise green/blue colour, being a competitive kid, I always thought the Calypso Red Esprit Turbo SE my dad had was better, it was a supercar for f**ks sake and it was a proper 2 seater.
I even had the 964 brochure;
It was this image, forgive the colour and the targa, this was the early 90's FFS, but I loved this angle;
Fast forward alot of years, when one gets the means to indulge in this sort of thing, the 964's were never on my radar, it was only until I saw a 70's 911 or 912, I couldn't tell you which one, was parked a few cars up from me in a car park, that I found myself having a look over it, it looked so cool, so retro, so basic and yet majestic. That was probably my trigger moment, then I would start looking for one in the hope I would find the one I wanted. This is where you leave your screen on at work and a colleague walks past and you strike up that conversation that you have a mutual passion for the classic 911, which spurs you on even more to find one and buy one. Having had friends that had owned later ones, either 997's or 996 Turbo's, then you have the friends that bought Boxsters to derision of other friends who make snarky comments like, "well, its not a proper Porsche is it?", to which i was always responded with, "yeah, well your Porsche is better I suppose?" which was usually met with silence as they never owned one!
After trawling through pages on various sites, including PH, I started doing my due diligence, I wanted a 911, wasn't sure to go for a G50 or a P car or even a water cooled version, but after weighing up the pro's and cons, I decided that the 964 C4 Coupe was what I wanted.
When searching for a 964, when your heart is set on the colour, spec and age etc, I ignored the fundamental principle and went with one that I was 75% sure I wanted. Back in April/May, there was a glut of Guards Red C4 Coupes on the market in various states across the US, and I was totally blind to that fact, it was only when my buddy was on the west coast that viewed a car for me said, "there are other colours apart from Red you know", it was mere coincidence.
Ideally, I wanted Dark Blue with Tan Leather in a decent spec for the budget in mind, I was being realistic and going for middle of the road. After a fruitless search on the various sales sites, I started going deeper, using the PCA classifieds, just pumping "1990 Porsche 964 C4 Coupe" threw up loads of search options, tweaking the age a little changed the results and low and behold, a company in Phoenix, AZ came up. I took a look at their stock, they were a boutique sports car dealer, dealt in Porsche's, Lamborghini's and Ferrari's and even Mercs. I found what would become my car, nestled in towards the top of their list, the mileage not ideal but otherwise, it looked reasonably straight, the vehicle report was pretty good, the mileage tallied up and on investigation revealed the car had done a little traveling but with owners that lavished love and car on it. It was originally supplied by a dealer Wyoming, stayed there for some years before moving to Las Vegas and surrounding areas where it was subsequently purchased by the dealer, driven on purchase back to Phoenix and was told, "its a solid car, never missed a beat".
So, back in May, I threw caution to the wind, and pulled the trigger and became a 964 C4 owner. It took a week to get the car in my possession, I did consider driving it back from AZ to NY over a long weekend with a buddy for the experience but then thought better of it, so I paid a freight company. Annoyingly, I was away when it arrived and I only had a week to stare at it before a work trip and a family visit back to the UK in June almost gave me separation anxiety. The furthest I'd driven my car was around the car park at my office where speed was limited obviously, but avoided the temptation to go for a quick jaunt up the road in case the cozzers caught me. After finally getting back in late June, I went about getting the insurance and registration taken care of so I could finally use it. The first run back home to the city was awesome, that feeling, the noise, all made it worth while. I then started to think about what I could do with it, personalise it as much or as little as I wanted. Whilst in the UK, I went to Le Mans and met up with a buddy who was a massive Porsche nut, owned a few 964's and even has a couple of 996's, a coupe and a convertible, he gave me the run down on what to do and when to do it, stuff like airbox, air filter, exhaust, suspension, wheels etc, i was armed to the teeth with ideas.
So far, the past several weeks, my car has been stuck in the Porsche specialist not a million miles from my office having some bits done, it was never going to be my main car, but still, I wanted it checked out and made good so I could have some peace of mind. On inspection, they assured me the car was solid, only a few wear and tear issues, sway bars, boot lid struts, wipers and binding rear caliper. So, I took the time to source some wheels, a new steering wheel and upgrade the stereo and speaker system for those long journeys upstate....
Not having the full compliment of a garage at home and the various tools required, I'm having to direct someone else to do most of the work, back home I would rope in my brothers to help with various bits car wise as we all worked well as a team, so this will be a new challenge.
I was supposed to get the car back today, but an issue with the aftermarket speakers have caused a slight delay, I should hopefully have an update on the upgraded items next week when I return from a business trip to Austin, I've had the Momo Mod 7 wheel installed and managed to source some 17" Cup 1 wheels to fill out the arches a little as well.
So, thats my foray into the Porsche 964 experience thus far, if anyone has any pointers, please share, also, I'm trying to find someone that can make the billet gear shifter;
If I can get the drawings for it, I can have it engineered, so I'm hoping someone can help me??
"……..have it engineered for me."
You could do that or just go and buy one from Rennline or Rothsport. Would be much easier and quicker for you.
http://www.rennline.com/964_993-Billet-Short-Shift...
Have fun!
You could do that or just go and buy one from Rennline or Rothsport. Would be much easier and quicker for you.
http://www.rennline.com/964_993-Billet-Short-Shift...
Have fun!
Jimmy Riviera said:
"……..have it engineered for me."
You could do that or just go and buy one from Rennline or Rothsport. Would be much easier and quicker for you.
http://www.rennline.com/964_993-Billet-Short-Shift...
Have fun!
I have looked at those, but not sure why they're available for C2's but not the C4? You could do that or just go and buy one from Rennline or Rothsport. Would be much easier and quicker for you.
http://www.rennline.com/964_993-Billet-Short-Shift...
Have fun!
Ah yes good point. That will be because the torque tube is in the way I suspect.
Unless you ditch the front transmission and convert to C2, you might have a problem. Also shift rod bushes / mounting plates in the trans tunnel is different on early C4s & C2s against later C2's and RS. I would still give Rennline or Rothsport a call and see what they recommend as a solution.
Unless you ditch the front transmission and convert to C2, you might have a problem. Also shift rod bushes / mounting plates in the trans tunnel is different on early C4s & C2s against later C2's and RS. I would still give Rennline or Rothsport a call and see what they recommend as a solution.
Yeah, i spoke to my specialist yesterday and he wasn't sure what alternatives there are out there. On a separate note, it seems my oil filler cap and dipstick were loose, so after a short trip, I've had oil sprayed around part of the engine bay, so it means a little clean up. We've had a small monsoon here today so its dashed my hopes of getting her out this weekend, so I'll be using my Jeep i reckon.
Loving the new wheel, I'll post some more pics when the weather clears up as its pretty gnarly out there at the moment.
Loving the new wheel, I'll post some more pics when the weather clears up as its pretty gnarly out there at the moment.
So far so good, from the weekend;
I'm looking at the Classic Porsche Navigation, if i can deal one for the right price. I keep looking at it and now want it lowered as its sitting too high i think. Its amazing the feel of the car with the new steering wheel, it just suits it i think. The wheels were the biggest transformation, they look perfect for the car, proportion etc, i love them. I've got some side decals to go on next, to break up the Red. I have a bit of traveling for work coming up, which is dangerous, as it gives me spare time to think about what i can do to it next!
I'm looking at the Classic Porsche Navigation, if i can deal one for the right price. I keep looking at it and now want it lowered as its sitting too high i think. Its amazing the feel of the car with the new steering wheel, it just suits it i think. The wheels were the biggest transformation, they look perfect for the car, proportion etc, i love them. I've got some side decals to go on next, to break up the Red. I have a bit of traveling for work coming up, which is dangerous, as it gives me spare time to think about what i can do to it next!
Just an update, been fettling with this over the past few months, she's running great, had a few mods done;
- Removed the cats, cat replacement installed
- G Pipe on its way, should be on this week
- Porsche side deals added, pics to follow
- Bit the bullet and replaced the rear reflector as that has deteriorated
- My dials needed replacing as the face had de-laminated, so with the back light on, they looked terrible
- New tyres all round, the wheels i bought had winter tyres on, so they were quite noisey
Should be getting it back from the mechnicals next week, so when its back, i'll pop a couple of pics up. Loving the sound it makes, even more so when the G pipe goes on. The next job is to drill the airbox and put the K&N filter in!
- Removed the cats, cat replacement installed
- G Pipe on its way, should be on this week
- Porsche side deals added, pics to follow
- Bit the bullet and replaced the rear reflector as that has deteriorated
- My dials needed replacing as the face had de-laminated, so with the back light on, they looked terrible
- New tyres all round, the wheels i bought had winter tyres on, so they were quite noisey
Should be getting it back from the mechnicals next week, so when its back, i'll pop a couple of pics up. Loving the sound it makes, even more so when the G pipe goes on. The next job is to drill the airbox and put the K&N filter in!
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